Island Deck

Ever since I saw the article “Breaking Away” in the March/April 2003 issue of Handy, I knew that deck would be a part of my back yard entertaining. It was delayed because a pool use to reside in this spot. After two years with the pool only being used twice, I decided that the island deck would be a better use of the real estate.

My name is Kenneth Denn, I live in Kennewick, Washington and I have been a club member since issue # 3.

This deck is 16 foot by 16 foot. We have difficulty getting dimensional lumber longer than that, and I wanted a seamless deck. The frame and arbor are made from treated lumber. The frame was made 16 inch on center from 2×8’s & is supported on pier blocks. The arbor is made from 4×4 posts and 2×6’s. I added lattice on both ends of the arbor and planted flowering clematis climbing vines on each side for shade and looks. I used 1×4 red cedar for the decking and trimmed the board ends with cedar 1×2’s. It is sealed with Thompson’s Water seal with Honey Oak tint.

I decided not to go with the built in benches and went with patio furniture to allow different arrangement of the seating. Of course, Max (seated on the right), Sebastian (lounging on the left) and Rocky (the alpha dog in the center inspecting my work) think it was built for their pleasure, but I won’t ague the point, since they’re just dachshunds.